MFT Guest: Christine Bell and an AWESOME giveaway!

Today we have a guest post from Christine Bell, the author of The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale, an awesome Steampunk (with an amazing title!), for the Favorite Things Event. She’s also being very generous and doing an awesome giveaway, which you’ll find at the bottom.

Thanks for joining us today Christine!

Thanks so much for having me today, Candace!

Today, I thought I could talk a little about putting the PUNK in steampunk.When people think of this hot new sub-genre, we often think of dirigibles and corsets, of goggles and bowler hats, of alternate worlds featuring fantastical machines, possibly made from gears, andpowered by steam. Granted, those are all definitely part of the steampunk aesthetic.

There’s also this intangible quality to it, an almost “you know it when you see it” type of feel. I like to say that if steampunk was a movie it would star Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, be directed by Tim Burton,and the score would be done by Danny Elfman.

Yet another aspect of steampunk is often a dystopian society (i.e. what happened after mechanical monsters took over the world). That can go hand in hand with thelast, less talked about facet of steampunk, which is the “punk” part. In order to fall under the umbrella of a“punk movement”, there is typically a sort of anti-establishment thread woven into the fabric of thediscourse.To my mind, steampunk is no different.

Let’s use Meljean Brooke’s The Iron Duke as an example, because…well, because it’s a really good book, PLUS is illustrates my point perfectly! Meljean created a swashbuckling tale of sky pirates and nanobots, and paired it with a really well-done love story. With its top notch world-building and fast pace, I was so entertained, it didn’t strike me until afterward that she’d also masterfully woven a poignant critique ofimperialism, colonialism and racisminto this tapestry.

While she doesn’t shove it in your face as such, there is no question that it’s there lurking under the surface of every page. It’s evident in the way her protagonist, Mina Wentworth, is treated by others due to her appearance and her blood line. The way the Horde views its victims. The nature of Horde-run “crèche’s” where manychildren were kept. The world has suffered enough major and well-documented periods of class/race/sexual discrimination, apartheid, oppression, genocide etc. thatwe know a nod to a particular instance when we see it,and there were nods left and right in The Iron Duke.

I loved that about the Iron Duke, because that’s the part that had me thinking about it long after I turned the last page (who am I kidding? I mean pressed the last next-page arrow on my Kindle). While it doesn’t have the theatricality that the other elements of steampunk have, it’s the one I feel really sets the sub-genre apart from science fiction or fantasy. Not to say that sci-fi and fantasy can’t have anti-establishment underpinnings, just that it’s not integral to the genres, whereas with steampunk, in my opinion, it is to some degree.

This probably seems funny coming from me, especially if you’ve read or heard about my book,The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale. To steal a phrase from fab author Cindy Spencer Pape, it’s“steampunk light.”I love steampunk that mixes in other genres, maybe some paranormal, definitely romance, or maybe even a hint of a twisted fairytale. So when I wrote this novella, I picked the parts I loved most about traditionalsteampunk and skipped others. I skipped the fantastical world-building. Stormy is set in a world that is pretty much just like the regular world was during the Victorian era. My characters are the only ones who know about time travel and the various mechanical inventions that facilitate their journeys. I also didn’t make mine a dystopian society and while, at points, it’s certainly emotional, the overall tone is not dark. In mine, the romance takes center stage, the time travel element is stronger than the steam-element,the characters have a lot of banter and my heroine is full of piss, vinegar and snark. And I like it like that. That’s the story I wanted to write.

BUT, even with all that, there is a message buried in there. Stormy wears pants when everyone else wears dresses, she’d rather be brave than pretty, she rails against the injustices of society based on class and works to right the wrongs heaped on the impoverished. My hero Devlin’s plight shines a light on the way society views the mentally ill and the way the aristocracyviews the poor. It’s not exactly a rage against the machine or anything, but this book stands for something and my characters buck the status quo in many ways.

Right now, I’m working on the sequel to this tale, tentatively titled From the Logs of Bacon Frogs which will chronicle Stormy, Devlin and Bacon’s unexpected trip back to 17th century Salem, Massachusetts. There will be mayhem, and romance, and adventure. There will be time travel, and goggles and corsets. And, my trio of characters will again stand up and fight for the oppressed!

Because I like my steampunk with at least a dash of punk.

Please tell me, readers, how do you like yours? Do you feel like there are some facets of steampunk that are non-negotiable? What has been your favorite steampunk read so far?

Now that was an entertaining post! “Piss, vinegar and snark” sounds exactly like my kind of thing! I haven’t read The Iron Duke, it’s been on my wishlist for ages, but it sounds entertaining. My favorite Steampunk… hmmm… to be honest I’m not sure I can say for sure, but I LOVED The Native Star by M.K. Hobson and am reading the second book, The Hidden Goddess, right now. It’s takes place in the US, while most other Steampunk books I’ve read take place in England. It’s also full of magic and it’s a very interesting world that the author has created.

The Giveaway:

Christine is giving one lucky winner an ebook of The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale, a The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale mug, a refrigerator magnet and romance trading cards to one US/Canadian winner. She is also giving away one ebook of The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale to one international winner. Please specify if you are US/Canada or International.

About Candace

Candace is an eclectic reader that loves young adult and adult books. She also reviews children's and middle grade books because she's the mother of two children. She's been blogging since 2008 and is also the owner and operator of CBB Book Promotions.

I think worldbuilding is my required thing for steampunk. I’ve seen some books that only have a very thin veneer because steampunk is the new “in” thing, and that annoys me. I love stories with setting like The Iron Duke or the Parasol Protectorate or Leviathan that have such a rich, strong setting, that are more than just Victorian England with goggles and gears.

Christine and Meredith- It’s such a fun and fresh sub-genre, and there are a lot of good ones out there right now to try! Photographs and Phantoms by Cindy Spencer Pape is a great option because it’s FREE right now at Carina Press (and I think free on Amazon too) so you can try steampunk risk-free!

Nonny- I loved the worldbuilding and sort of epic feel of The Iron Duke as well!

I’ve enjoyed every steampunk story I’ve read so far. I loved Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, but my favorite so far is Katie MacAlister’s Steamed. It had it all – dirigibles, cool inventions, humor, adventure, romance, and great characters.The things I like about steampunk are that they can be a mix of elements, but what I think all steampunk stories need are fantastical inventions, adventure, and plenty of humor.

I haven’t had the chance to read much Steampunk, just discovered the genre recently. But Nonny is so right, it is more than “Victorian England with goggles and gears”. The world has to be larger than life and I believe it must feel gritty and dark.

I couldn’t agree with you more when you said you can see Depp and Carter in a movie by Burton when it comes to Steampunk. Every time I think of Steampunk all I see is Sweeney Todd. I don’t think it is 100% Steampunk, but that look and feel is what I am talking about. Man I want to see that movie right now LOL!

I’ve not read enough SteamPunk to have definite things I expect (other than an entertaining story of course)So far I’m batting about 50% on what I’ve read and liked. I’m definitely seeking out more of it as it has peaked my interest.(___/)(=’.’=) (“)_(“)

I have only read one steam punk, The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, which was very good. It took me a bit aback as I did not realize what I was reading at first. Getting used to the different world setting in our world with the automatons took some getting used to, but once you understand – it is great. A very creative place where your imagination can just explode, that is what I expect from this type of novel. Thank you for the great interview and the opportunity to win the giveaway.dz59001@gmail.comUSA

I have to confess that I haven’t read any steampunk YET. I already have Gail Carr8iger’s series on my TBR shelf as well as Meljean Brook’s The Iron Duke, will have to get to it. Without any real knowledge, I would say that corsets and parasols as well as pocketwatches must be in the story! 😀

Steampunk is my favorite genre at the moment. 🙂 I think that steampunk ought to have, to a certain extent, old-fashioned conventions. (Chaperonage, proper manners, etc., etc., etc.) Not that the characters actually have to follow the conventions, where would be the fun in that?

Thanks for the great comments! Lieder, I agree about convention, and even more that the characters needn’t be bound by it! The time period should feel authentic even if the characters don’t necessarily fit in.

Actually, I have never read steampunk. I have absolutely no clue what it is, only that it produces cool and interesting jewelry and book covers lol I would love to have a chance to start my steampunk adventure though! lol

I haven’t read any steampunk yet, either, but I am definitely intrigued by the idea! Bloggers all over are talking up a storm about steampunk and I put all of the books on my TBR list: this books is definitely going on it today! Thanks for a great giveaway!jwitt33@live.comUSA

I have way too many favorites but my favorite so far is Clockwork Angel <3 or Native Star 🙂 I totally agree if the charaters don’t fit the book just doesn’t work…but the time period must be set right 🙂

I’ve only read The Iron Duke, but I definitely agree that the world-building (the underlying racism, etc.) was well done. But I would expect good world-building in any genre, including contemporary. You have to sell the world.

I think the atmosphere is the most important part of steampunk. That feeling. You know what I mean. I haven’t read any steampunk, I think, but Girl in the Steel Corset and Native are up to be read pretty soon.